


Paper Hearts

by Gooseberrybrains



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Paper Hearts, oblivious Remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 13:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20761217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gooseberrybrains/pseuds/Gooseberrybrains
Summary: Sirius came into the room just as Remus opened his Potions book and little red paper hearts fell from the pages and scattered all over the floor. He groaned in frustration and looked accusingly at his friend. “I know it’s you.”Sirius gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean, Moony. I haven’t done a thing.”





	Paper Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a drabble posting on tumblr and it turned into a monster as most of my drabbles do. 
> 
> No beta on this so any mistakes are my own!

Remus rolled his eyes at the offending parchment. This was getting ridiculous now. It was to the point that he couldn’t open a book without them falling out like autumn leaves. He felt as though he was leaving a trail wherever he went, like breadcrumbs from that muggle fairytale only much more embarrassing. People had started to take notice, and he couldn’t go anywhere without the other students pointing and giggling at him. 

Sirius came into the room just as Remus opened his Potions book and little red paper hearts fell from the pages and scattered all over the floor. He groaned in frustration and looked accusingly at his friend. “I know it’s you.”

Sirius gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean, Moony. I haven’t done a thing.”

Remus scowled at him and turned back to his homework. “You keep saying that, but I don’t believe you.”

“Why would I lie about it?” Sirius asked curiously. 

“To drive me crazy, like every other thing you do,” Remus said crankily, reaching into his bag for a quill. 

More paper hearts spilled out of his bag with the movement and some of the fifth year girls seated near him started giggling. Remus glared at them and turned back to Sirius who was clearly trying not to laugh. 

He jabbed his quill sternly in Sirius’ direction. “This isn’t over.”

*

Remus was exhausted. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to climb under his blankets and sleep. He pulled back his comforter and was greeted by an explosive flurry of hearts. He swore and stomped over to the bathroom door, banging on it hard enough to rattle the hinges. “Padfoot! Get your ass out here!” 

The door swung open and Sirius stepped out, still damp with a towel slung low on his hips. “You bellowed, Moony dearest?”

Remus stared at him blankly for a moment before shaking his head and pointing a finger back toward his bed. “What is the meaning of this? Can’t you find someone else to annoy?”

Sirius fluffed up his wet hair and glanced dismissively at Remus’ heart covered bed. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and raised an eyebrow at him. “Again, I say that you have no proof I’ve done anything. Perhaps you have a secret admirer.” 

Remus scowled at him. “There is not a single other person in this school that would think  _ this _ was a good idea!” 

A hint of something like frustration flashed through Sirius’ eyes so quickly that Remus couldn’t be sure he saw it at all. “Have you even stopped to really think about it, or  _ look  _ at the hearts?” Sirius asked him. 

“What? No, they’re just paper hearts, Sirius,” Remus scoffed dismissively. 

“Right, well, that’s part of the problem, isn’t it?” Sirius responded with maddening superiority before turning on his heel and disappearing back into the bathroom. 

*

There were no more paper hearts. They had stopped so abruptly that it was alarming. Remus had hated them and complained about them, but now he missed them. He opened his Transfiguration text in class and despite the number of students watching expectantly, nothing happened. He pulled a quill from his bag in the library after lunch, without a sign of a single heart. 

Remus sighed and berated himself as he walked back up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. The hearts had been annoying, so why did he miss them? He should be glad that they were gone, that Sirius had given up because it had to be him. He was the only one likely to think such a prank was funny and to be so persistent with it. James was relentless with his pranks, but that one wasn’t really his style. Besides, James was more likely to dump hearts on Lily than him. 

Remus made his way to their dorm, intending to take a nap. The full moon was getting close and he was feeling tired and achy. He pulled back his comforter, and froze. There was a paper heart sticking out from under his pillow, probably missed from yesterday’s explosion. Remus picked it up carefully, and sank onto the bed as he stared at it. Sirius’ words from last night echoed in his head as he turned the paper over in his hands. 

It wasn’t just a simple piece of heart-shaped parchment. It was an intricately folded paper, with delicate lines and creases mapped across it. Remus began tugging gently at the edges, pulling it open until it unfolded into a square, white on the inside where bold black lettering was scrawled. Remus recognized the handwriting immediately and he almost didn’t even bother to read it. He knew Sirius had been the one behind the hearts, but something stopped him from dismissing it. Maybe it was the realization that it would have taken ages for Sirius to create all those origami hearts. Whatever the reason, Remus couldn’t stop himself from reading the words inked into the paper. 

_ You’re beautiful.  _

*

Remus never did take that nap. He spent nearly an hour sitting on his bed, trying to reconcile what he knew about Sirius with what he was seeing in front of him. Sirius was never  _ serious _ . He cracked jokes and poked fun and hid away any real feelings he might have. Remus had been sure this was all an elaborate prank Sirius had cooked up to entertain himself. Until now. Until the words written inside the heart. Would Sirius take a joke that far? It seemed a bit too cruel, even for him. Remus desperately wanted to know what had been written in the other hearts. Did they all say the same thing? Or were they all different. He was kicking himself for not having paid them closer attention before. They had been an annoyance, nothing more, until they weren’t. 

Remus slouched downstairs, still tired but his hunger outweighed his exhaustion. He startled slightly when James bounded up to him, full of his usual endless supply of energy. 

“Moony! Ready for dinner?” James slung an arm around Remus’ shoulders and began guided him to the portrait hole as he spoke. “Oh, and I almost forgot— I found this in my bag.”

Remus paused at the sight of the red paper heart James was holding out to him. He took it slowly, his hands shaking as he unfolded it to find the same bold black lettering inside. 

_ You have my heart.  _

“I have to go find Sirius. I’ll see you in The Great Hall,” Remus said over his shoulder to James as he jogged down the corridor.

*

Remus rounded the corner and burst into The Entrance Hall, stopping to catch his breath when he spotted a familiar dark head of hair. 

“Sirius!” he shouted. 

Sirius turned, meeting his eyes with an expectant look on his face. He smiled at Remus and it was an expression that lit up his whole face in such a way that Remus wondered how he had never noticed it before. He jogged forward and stopped in front of Sirius, still panting from the exertion of running through the castle. 

Now that he was here, face to face with Sirius, he realized that he had no idea what he was going to do. Not that it mattered. Not when Sirius’ gaze dropped to the crumpled paper heart in his hand. 

Sirius sucked in a breath. “So, you finally opened one.”

Remus looked down at the open heart in his grip. His fingers flexed on it for a moment before he held it out to Sirius. “Did you mean this?” 

Sirius didn’t even look down to see what it said before answering. “Of course I meant it. I meant every word in every single one of those hearts.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I was trying to get your attention. You always dismiss me.”

Remus bit his lip, feeling a bit ashamed of himself. He couldn’t deny it, but maybe he could make up for it. “I’m sorry. I just— I have a hard time believing anyone would be interested in me this way.”

Sirius stepped closer, putting a hand against Remus’ chest. “All I wanted was for my hearts to be noticed by your heart. Everything else we can work on.”

Remus didn’t hear the students milling around them anymore. He didn’t notice the bodies jostling past them or the curious whispers pointed in their direction. What he did notice was Sirius’ clear grey eyes focused on him. The straight line of his nose and the sharp curve of his jaw. Remus noticed the perpetual smirk twitching at the corners of his lips and he realized something. He wanted to kiss those lips. He wanted to grab onto Sirius and never let go. But Remus didn’t do spontaneous and he didn’t throw caution to the wind. It wasn’t his style. And yet… 

And yet he let out a puff of air and said “I’m going to kiss you now.” He didn’t give Sirius a chance to respond, just grasped the lapels of his leather jacket and tugged him forward. Remus kissed Sirius like he was air, and let the last paper heart fall to the floor. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr for more content!


End file.
